Tag: Tom Shear (Page 1 of 2)

Seattle’s Tom Shear released his debut album as ASSEMBLAGE 23 in 1999.

Released on the Canadian label Gashed, ‘Contempt’ was a cult hit in Germany as it rode on a wave of dark electronic dance music alongside acts such as VNV NATION, PROJECT PITCHFORK, COVENANT and APOPTYGMA BERZERK that fell under the umbrella of futurepop. Signing to Metropolis Records which has been Shear’s home since 2001, ‘Contempt’ was reissued along with second album ‘Failure’ to build and consolidate ASSEMBLAGE 23’s reputation as one of the leading exponents of a movement dominated by European acts.

With deeply personal and relatable lyrical gists often broaching difficult subjects such as suicide and depression, ASSEMBLAGE 23 became a constant on underground dancefloors and at alternative music festivals. The albums ‘Defiance’, ‘Storm’ and ‘Meta’ maintained the standard while ‘Compass’ in 2009 contained what has now become the fan favourite ‘Spark’. 2012’s ‘Bruise’ saw a move towards a more mature sound but 2016 ‘Endure’ went back to the harder electronic sound following Shear’s 2014 more EBM-centric side project SURVEILLANCE.

The new album ‘Null’ is the tenth by ASSEMBLAGE 23, but the first since the pandemic afflicted ‘Mourn’ in 2020. Ahead of its release, Tom Shear toured the UK with his wife and HELIX partner Mari Kattman in support to preview tracks; he chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about the making of ‘Null’ before the London show at The Dome.

It’s been 5 years since ‘Mourn’, how do you look back on the making and reception for that album?

It was a very strange time to be making an album because that was during the pandemic when I started it. On one hand, it was the ideal situation because you are stuck inside and can’t do anything else; the concentration was in a way, a nice thing. But it also made things very difficult when it came time to ship the album and merch. All the shipping supply chains were really screwed up. There were a lot of delays but fortunately the fans were very understanding.

The new album ‘Null’ was much more of a positive experience as far as putting it together because it didn’t have these complicated circumstances surrounding it.

How was the title ‘Null’ chosen and did it set the concept for the record?

I wouldn’t say there’s a unifying concept through all of the songs… whereas a lot of prior ASSEMBLAGE 23 stuff is very internally focussed, this is more “the world has gone crazy” although it is partially internally focussed because how do you navigate that situation? But ‘Null’ is a bit more social commentary than there has been in the past.

The name ‘Null’, I thought it would be funny to call the tenth album “zero” but I also like the fact that the concept of “zero” or “nothing” really depends on the context. If you go to the doctor and the treatment works and there’s no more sign of cancer or something, that’s the best news you can get. But if there’s no money left or whatever, it can have a negative connotation and I like that about language, about how context can completely change the meaning behind it.

You’re touring before the album is out, it’s kinda the wrong way round now, was that intentional?

We started booking these shows before I really knew what the release date was going to be… the album took me a little longer than I’d anticipated. The timing is not ideal but it kinda good to preview these songs in a live environment. People absorb music in a different way when it’s something that they know versus something that they don’t. So far the reactions to new songs have been really positive, so I hope that will hold true for when the album comes out.

‘Tolerate’ is very on point in the current climate?

Things have just become increasingly divided, obviously I’m viewing it from the US perspective but I think this is true in Europe as well. It’s gotten to the point where it’s really fractured relationships, not just from a political level. Some of these views might be seen as so abhorrent that I don’t want anything to do with somebody who believes in something that is so harmful. I think unfortunately it’s a common experience.

Have you ever heard of The Paradox Of Intolerance? If you tolerate intolerance, then tolerance will cease to exist because the intolerance will wipe it out. So the point is, somebody who considers themselves tolerant has a limit… that line, once it’s crossed, I can’t engage with them anymore because their views are not just different from mine, they’re directly harmful to certain populations.

Nothing is really black and white at the end of the day. The unfortunate thing is that your average person out there doesn’t navigate nuance very well, like they want things to be black and white… but at the end of the day, I think that there are other groups that have other interests.

I’d say it’s in the ultra-wealthy’s best interests if we are fighting about something else rather than they are robbing everybody… the poor are getting poorer, the rich are getting richer… we are now seeing obscene wealth, like more money than anyone needs! I feel there are issues to deal with in immigration and racism but at the end of the day, those are tools being used by people who want to keep their way of life… it is greed at the end of the day!

This keeps the people distracted, because there’s a lot more of us… I say that in one of the songs called ‘Overthrow’ and it sounds it’s about overthrowing the government but it’s about overthrowing the system of wealth and equality. That’s why a lot of this stuff happens, it’s happened perpetually throughout history, it’s just the marginalised groups that are targeted changes with time.

It’s the “divide and rule” mentality… so have you yourself hit ‘The Line’?

Oh yes! Absolutely! The song is talking about difference in politics but I’ve had it in other cases where there are people that were friends who I found out were domestic abusers… I knew someone who I found out was screwing minors! So the song is in the interest of not having it be too unfocussed, it focusses on politics but I think there are lots of different times where you have to evaluate whether you want to keep these people in your life or do you really need to let them go…

‘Lunatics’ is self-explanatory… but which lunatics are you referring to, the messengers or the ones believing the message?

‘Lunatics’ is more focussed on the people in power, leadership, the oligarchs who are buying influence and the media who are complicit in spreading those messages, aiding and abetting them in those goals! They are the people who are using other easily influenced people to further their agendas. But I guess the reason why is because those people can do the most damage and the most harm, simply because they have the most resources to do so. Obviously both sides are part of that equation and one doesn’t work without the other.

‘Gone’ has got this fabulous chill, is the song personal or more a narrative?

I am turning 54 years old and as you age, one of the unfortunate things about that is the list of people who you know and who die grows… I have, especially in the last couple of years, had a lot of people gone before their time. So the song is about that, looking at the loss of people in your life that just increases the older you get… the experience of losing someone and then almost forgetting about it, but you see something that reminds you of them… you relive the moment but there’s the grief because they are not there anymore. You think enough time has passed for your brain to make peace, but that’s the line about how “you’re gone and I can’t reach you and I wish that I knew why…”

For this ‘Null’ campaign, you have become more active on social media, is that all Mari’s doing?

Yeah, she was a big influence with that because I thought she did a spectacular job with her own social media promotion for her album ‘Year Of The Katt’. I really wanted to dial back from social media because I think it’s a net harmful influence in just about every way. But it IS the de facto method of promotion these days, so you have to play along and make us of it. Mari was definitely influential in that, I watched what she was doing and saw she did such a good job, it got a really great response so that was the model I followed.

How are you maintaining your enthusiasm for playing live as ASSEMBLAGE 23 after nearly 30 years?

Our first show was 1996! Obviously, the shows increased with frequency after that… the role of live performance has changed a lot, as the music industry has changed, to where it is the primary area that you’re going to make money unless you are lucky enough to get a song licensed to a movie or video game. Some individuals do very well with streaming despite the fact that it pays very poorly. But I think the experience of the average musician is that doesn’t form a significant portion of their income. In that sense, playing live becomes more important but it’s not just about selling T-shirts, this is your main chance to have some income from what you’re doing.

How are you doing on vinyl because when ASSEMBLAGE 23 started releasing albums, they would have been on CD, unlike say DEPECHE MODE?

It’s been doing great, I’ve had pre-orders for ‘Null’ open for a couple of months now… we’ve done vinyls in the past and they’ve always done well but I feel like this time, it’s doing even better than it has before.

I’m not a vinyl person myself but I get it… the crackles and stuff just adds a bit of aesthetic to it, it’s pretty unique. Also, I think we’re about to see a shift in things where people seem to be getting back to physical media because they’re exhausted from all these different streaming services and you don’t own it! If you don’t pay your subscription fee, it’s gone. People are starting to realise after some time that they like more of the permanence that physical media provides.

What about CD sales these days?

Previous tours, we would go out with hundreds of CDs and we would have to restock halfway through and come home with just a handful of them. But the last full US tour we did in 2016, we had a lot of CDs left over… it probably took a year to finally sell those. There are people who still like this format to consume their music but in a weird way, I think CDs have become autograph receptacles… you can’t sign a stream or an MP3! So for a lot of people, especially when you are playing live, the CD is almost a souvenir, you can’t count on somebody to go home and search you on Bandcamp, so you might lose sales by not having something right there that can immediately be picked up and bought as a keepsake.

Imagine if you ever had the energy and willing to do a Tom Shear event with ASSEMBLAGE 23, SURVEILLANCE, HELIX and Mari Kattman all in the line-up, who would you like as your special guest in this fantasy festival?

Gary Numan, that would be a great choice. The reason is he’s really responsible for me getting into electronic music. When I was 10 years old, I was at my cousin’s house and there was a Top40 countdown show and it was the week ‘Cars’ came out and charted in the US. It stopped me in my tracks because I’d never heard anything that sounded like that before! I didn’t know how to distinguish musical instruments, what was making the sounds, but I knew whatever it was, I wanted to be a part of it. It’s so interesting to me how a single moment can totally change the course of your life. I’ve made a living from this for decades now and it was that one moment that pushed me in that direction.

If you were to pick five tracks as an introduction to your career either as ASSEMBLAGE 23, SURVEILLANCE, HELIX or remixes to draw in newcomers, what would they be and why?

‘Disappoint’ from ‘Failure’ is an obvious choice, I feel like that was the track that really moved us up to another level.

‘Damaged’ off ‘Meta’ is another one that I think people relate to…

From ‘Storm’, I would say ‘30 Thousand Feet’ as well because a lot of people who hear it for the first time go “oh sh*t!”; the last US tour that we did, we ended the set with that and as people recognised the track, people went “oh-oh!” *laughs*

I would have to have some HELIX tracks in there, ’Hurt Like Me’ is one of my favourite ones to play live and I also love ‘The Beautiful Unseen’, I think it’s a really beautiful song.

You used to end shows, with a cover of INXS ‘Don’t Change’, but have you ever noticed how the synth leadline was virtually identical to ‘Bunker Soldiers’ by OMD?

I didn’t, I’ll have to listen again! *laughs*

I remember when I first saw you do ‘Don’t Change’ at Islington Academy in 2011, I thought you were covering OMD and it then morphed into this INXS song…

Who knows if it’s intentional or not, there’s only 12 notes to choose from so it’s inevitable there will be things that come out the same. At the end of the day, we like to romanticise it, but creating musically is being a clever thief, taking and choosing the parts that appeal to you. It might not be a direct one-to one copy but you might hear something and go “oh, that gives me the chills, I want to do something like that so I’ll take that”; you create this Frankenstein’s Monster of all your favourite things and put them together. But I would be curious as to the origin of ‘Don’t Change’ and whether INXS were OMD fans…

There’s always a debate as to whether ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas film, so is ‘December’ from ‘Endure’ a Christmas song?

Hahaha! Obviously that wasn’t my motivation when I wrote it but I do have a memory of when I was a child, it’s such an awful story… it was Christmas morning and we had a dog who had been suffering from heartworms. We came downstairs and the dog had died under the Christmas tree! So you can imagine how traumatic that is and it was probably worse for my younger sister! Yeah, maybe there’s a subconscious link there! *laughs*

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ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Tom Shear

Special thanks to Gary Levermore at Red Sand PR

‘Null’ is released by Metropolis Records on 7th November 2025 in CD, vinyl and digital variants, available from https://assemblage23.bigcartel.com/ or https://assemblage23.bandcamp.com/album/null

http://www.assemblage23.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Official-Assemblage-23/138651156153800

https://www.instagram.com/officialassemblage23/

https://bsky.app/profile/assemblage23.bsky.social

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Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
25th October 2025

HELIX are the North American synth power couple of solo artist Mari Kattman and ASSEMBLAGE 23’s Tom Shear.

Releasing their debut album ‘Twin’ in 2018, their busy schedules meant that there was no more from HELIX until 2021’s ‘Bad Dream’ EP. But their new EP ‘Unimaginable Place’ is their best body of work yet, dark yet strangely romantic and hopeful collection of songs combining elements of synthpop, dub, dance, trip hop, trap and more.

In an ‘Unimaginable Place’, Mari Kattman and Tom Shear gave ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK a wonderful insight into their creative relationship as HELIX and the workings of the modern music industry…

Both of you have been making music individually and in collaboration with others for a while, so was doing a music project together always a given?

Mari: I don’t think it was always a given per se. It’s certainly how things ended up, but our collaboration had as much to do with mutual respect and admiration of one another as people as well as artists. I think our personalities work amazing in a collaborative environment. As much as we may butt heads creatively once in a while, we are both extremely passionate, dedicated and artists that hold ourselves to a high standard of output. So it works out to being a success.

Tom: It’s funny, but the way it came together was that I had heard Mari’s previous project DAY TWELVE and really liked her voice. I had a track I was working on that I needed a harmony part that was higher than I could sing, so I asked her if she could do it and she nailed it. So I asked her to do some vocals on a remix I was working on. Then I asked her to sing on a SURVEILLANCE song. By that time it was like – wait, why don’t we have our own project together?!

What have been each of your favourite tracks done by the other?

Mari: I listened to Tom’s music occasionally before we met and over the years I would come to hear his stuff in passing with friends who were listening to his music or at clubs I was playing shows at. My favorite track from Tom was always ‘Cocoon’. It’s really atmospheric with that kind of reverb-y feel that is super dreamy. I also really appreciate the vocal being so present, clear, right up front. I always find myself tiring of the EBM stuff in general, it’s just so repetitive. So to hear this track in a sea of cookie cutter EBM, was a breath of fresh air. Tom always takes risks on every album which isn’t something most artists do, he will do something unique, out of the box and that’s really something that sets him apart.

Tom: I really like ‘Swallow’. It’s the whole package. It’s got a great rhythmic feel to it, an insistent hook, a really strong vocal and although the song title on its face might suggest something sexual, it’s actually about the struggles women deal with. I love that subversiveness. Honestly, though, it’s hard to pick. Mari’s really been getting stronger with each track she does. She’s been on fire lately!

What are your shared music likes but also any things that one liked that perhaps the other wasn’t very keen on? 😉

Mari: We are very similar, like eerily so, we even shared our common interest of Missy Elliott right when we first met. We also share a common background of punk rock music being our first real affair with music as teenagers. We both also have a HUGE appreciations for 90s electronic music. It’s really nice when there is much to bond about.

Tom: I think we really bonded over 90s music, particularly the electronic stuff. PORTISHEAD and MASSIVE ATTACK… hip-hop stuff like THE FUGEES and Missy Elliot. We’re both fans of 80s stuff, too, but I think the 90s ushered in a sort of darker sound overall that’s really appealing. I can’t really think of anything Mari likes that I hate.

In terms of your music partnership, how does it differ from your own established vehicles?

Mari: HELIX is a totally different sound than the Mari Kattman project. Tom is a true wonder with the cinematic, massive, string heavy, shimmering tracks. It’s fun to apply my vocals to the arrangements he comes up with. I am a totally different composer, I really focus my weight on edgy basslines and try and keep the song structures as simple as I can handle from a mixing perspective. When it comes to Tom holding the control over most of the music and having his expertise in mixing, we can totally push the limits of the stereo field, and we do.

Tom: For me, it’s a chance to just concentrate on the music and let someone else worry about the vocals and fronting the band. It’s refreshing.

Is there any style or approach that you have experimented with in HELIX that you perhaps wouldn’t normally go with?

Mari: We have totally done a lot of stuff that’s super 80s reminiscent. Not synthwave, but 80s 90s electronic music from a pop angle. It’s fun to be able to do whatever we feel like with this project, because it’s not meant to be a copycat of anything happening today. It’s truly a mish-mash of the music that has been inspirational to us in our lifetimes.

Tom: The thing that is the most fun for me is that I just kind of incorporate influences from different genres and squash them together to see if they gel. There’s elements of trip-hop, house, dance music, trap, hip-hop, rock, dub, synthpop in our stuff and somehow it just works.

How do you look back on the making of the debut HELIX album ‘Twin’ released in 2018?

Mari: ‘Twin’ wasn’t only a pleasure to write but it was a true bonding experience for Tom and I. I like to use the analogy of “message in a bottle” he was in Seattle and I was in Rhode Island. We were both working so hard to create things for each other that were outstanding. I would send him back vocals after he sent me a song and just pray that when he woke up in the morning to download my files that he would love what I did. It was a labor of love, for sure.

Tom: That one was a lot different from the EPs because we were living on opposite coasts at the time. So it was a different way of working and was definitely a lot less collaborative. I feel like that album was also about us figuring out what HELIX was going to be. What our sound would be. I much prefer being able to collaborate with Mari in person. We butt heads from time to time, but I think it always results in stronger songs.

Was following up ‘Twins’ with two EPs ‘Bad Dream’ and now ‘Unimaginable Place’ more a consequence of practicality as you are busy with your main creative outlets or was it more to do with today’s release strategies which do not appear to favour long playing formats on streaming services?

Mari: I am a big believer in catering to the limited attention span that most people have these days. However, this one was certainly a mix of both of our lives being very busy with the mundane tasks of daily life and yes, the limited attention span idea.

Tom: A little from column A, a little column B. We do feel like the way people consume music is much different from how it used to be. People have much shorter attention spans. I think it’s rare for someone to listen to an entire album from start to finish. So we thought EPs are more “digestible” and concentrated on making those four songs really good. We also figured it would allow us to release music more frequently, and I still hope that, but the reality has been that jobs, day-to-day life, etc slowed that pace down.

Social media has changed a lot even since ‘Bad Dream’, Twitter has turned into a nightmare while there is the rise of TikTok and the emergence of Threads… is this all getting too much?

Mari: I feel like everyoneis trying to get their 15 seconds of fame these days and to be honest, I couldn’t really be bothered. I really care about what I do, but I grew up in a time where things were much different. Physical looks were less important, followers were a non-issue, and musical quality was everything. I am extremely proud of my music but it’s hard for me to post videos and selfies everyday to promote, it all seems a big frivolous compared to the music product itself.

Tom: It’s hard to avoid the feeling that social media is overall a bad thing for humanity. The idea is great on paper, but the reality is it’s exploited as a really effective means of propaganda and spreading misinformation and it really brings out the worst in people a lot of times. I think I was happier before I knew so many crazy people walked among us.

What hardware, software and effects are you using in HELEX now, has there been anything that has been a particular revelation?

Tom: Hardware-wise I mostly used the ARP Odyssey, Roland SH-01a, Arturia Minifreak, and a borrowed Oberheim OB6. Softsynths used include U-he Repro, Kilohearts Phase Plant, Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Arturia Pigments, Inphonik RX-1200, my DAW’s sampler, and a ton more. I treated Mari’s vocals with a lot of stuff from Soundtoys, Valhalla, and others.

The ‘Unimaginable Place’ title song is a mighty club anthem that you can imagine being played at dark alternative establishment, are either of you much into dancing?

Mari: Tom is going to SAY he’s not into dancing, but believe me, he is. At least around the house to annoy our 8 year old daughter. In all honesty though, Tom and I are way more sedentary than we have any business being. haha.

Tom: I prefer to make other people dance than to dance myself. If you’ve ever seen me perform live you know why! I can’t dance to save my life. Which, as Mari mentioned, I have learned I can use to really bum out the kiddo to hilarious effect.

‘Lie To Herself’ ventures into some ominous tones, what is important to get the atmospheric of these types of downtempo songs right?

Mari: ‘Lie To Herself’ is truly a conversational piece, an outward thought. I think the main thing of importance with this track was to get the vocals situated to the front. The vocals truly took center stage when this one came together.

Tom: Atmosphere and texture are two important components of HELIX tracks. The song always comes first, but making it sound interesting and as if it inhabits a physical space of some sort really goes a long way towards creating a mood.

Was ‘Grey’ inspired by anything in particular, lyrically and musically?

Mari: I like to leave these lyrics up to fit whatever situation you are in and leave them there. I am trying to write about things that affect me these days. Feeling the weight of aging is something that a lot of us are dealing with right now. Where is the person I used to be? Am I still acceptable now that I’m not looking or feeling as youthful as I was? Is there still someone who will accept me when I’m not at my best?

Tom: Musically, I had been listening to a lot of old TANGERINE DREAM and was messing around with that sort of “Berlin School” type of sequenced synth line. I set it up to modulate a bunch of different parameters on the synth and set the modulation out of sync with one another so the sound is constantly shifting and evolving against itself. The rest of the song got built around that.

‘Hurt Like Me’ has this powerful but distressing backdrop, do either of you find catharsis in music or can these emotions take you back to difficult paces that are a challenge to deal with?

Mari: I have definitely used this project and my own to sort out a lot of the feelings I was having internally. The coolest part about being a musician is that you are sort of an alchemist of sorts. You can take something really crappy and turn it into something people can dance to! How many people can do that? Musicians also have the last word, always.

Tom: I find the process of making music really cathartic, regardless of the mood or subject matter. Just the process itself is such a satisfying way of working through difficult times or feelings. I guess there’s always the risk of “wallowing in it” a bit, but for me, just going through the process has always been really helpful for getting past tough times.

What do you get from doing HELIX that you perhaps might not doing music with your main vehicle?

Mari: Collaboration is a whole other animal than when you are writing alone. You must be open, willing to bend, willing to settle and you also get the pleasure of the other person’s point of view. You get to combine both of your skills that you have honed over the years. Tom brings so much to the table, he has had decades of experience composing, mixing and producing. It’s so beautiful to hear how HE interprets my voice, instead of just how I do it when I’m alone. It’s a privilege for me to work with him.

Tom: For me, I find it really refreshing to do something different from ASSEMBLAGE 23. I enjoy that too, of course, but to be able to step into a different musical world with different rules and processes helps keep things fresh and also keeps me learning new stuff all the time. I think it’s important that you keep trying to learn new stuff no matter how long you’ve been making music. Stepping outside your usual comfort zone is a really good way to do that. Plus, getting to work with the love of my life ain’t bad either.

What is next for you both, either together or alone or with others?

Mari: I am now working on my first full length solo album and I will finish it this year. I also have some collaborations coming out this year with the FiXT record label, another few tracks with Julian Beeston (FEATURED, CUBANATE, NITZER EBB). I also have another collab with Markus Renard (WOLFSHEIM). You will also be able to catch me on the next MESH album, a much anticipated release that I hope comes out this year as well. So stay tuned!

Tom: We’ve got a bunch of live shows coming up this year for ASSEMBLAGE 23, HELIX and Mari’s solo stuff. Other than that, I’m working on new A23 material, although I have no idea when it will eventually come out. It’s in the works, though!

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ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Mari Kattman and Tom Shear

‘Unimaginable Place’ is available as a digital EP from https://helix.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HelixElectronic

https://www.facebook.com/MariKattman

https://www.instagram.com/themarikattman/

https://assemblage23.com/

https://www.instagram.com/tom.shear.58/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ugssNdSLmoWa5vFW8hfOS

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Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
2nd March 2024